This Month in Baseball (TMIB) - April

We're merely one month into the season, and already there have been quite a few interesting events shaping 2016. Here's a quick look around the horn:

• In terms of free agent acquisitions, Aledmys Diaz has perhaps been the "best of the rest" and may prove to be the best pickup this year (congrats, 'Toga). In an analysis by Fangraphs reviewing the 19-game debuts of players over the past decade, Diaz has had the best, even outpacing Yasiel Puig's in 2013. Oh yeah, and he's got middle infield eligibility.
• On the downside, his BABIP is sky high and will eventually drop, but if he can keep his K-rate where it is (only 8.2%), he might have a decent shot to finish the year with a BA above .300. That's if Major League pitchers don't find a major weakness in his game.
• Nolan Arenado is a beast. The only knock I had on him entering this year was that he had a relatively low walk rate for a slugger, but he's nearly double it this year (9.2% vs. 5.1%). Oh yeah, and he has more home runs than strikeouts. Costing AJ's Aces just $2, I currently have him as the most valuable keeper in the league.
• I couldn't rightly talk about April without mentioning Arenado's teammate, Trevor Story. The batting average is receding as expected, but we'll see if the power lasts long-term (10 HR so far).
• Does anyone else remember the cautionary tale of Chris Shelton? He hit 10 homers in April of 2006 only to end up with 16 in total for the year.

I like to make up my own sound effects when the ball hits the bat.

• Who would have thought that a little 171 lb. squirt like Dee Gordon would be the first major fantasy star to get caught for PEDs this year? A tough break for Grand Theft Votto, but Trea Turner is currently hitting well with plenty of steals and should slot in nicely later this year.
• Jake Arrieta is still doing what he does best, namely picking up W's and having an ERA around 1.00. Former Orioles pitching coach Rick Adair will never again work in MLB for stifling his awesomeness.
• Kenta Maeda-mania gripped Los Angeles for the first month as the Japanese export made an impressive transition to MLB. It's amazing what throwing strikes can do, and he's got pretty good "stuff" to go with that accuracy. If only I had bid on him some more!

Give it up, I'm hitting too!

• Noah Syndergaard's average fastball velocity is 98 mph according to Fangraphs. Average. As in a lot of his pitches actually go faster than that. I wonder how he'd compare to Aroldis Chapman coming out of the bullpen; it's hard to believe the human arm can throw that hard over so many innings as a starter.
• David Ortiz is off to a great start for his final season, hitting 5 home runs and slashing .306/.404/.612. I believe he will pass Ted Williams (521 home runs) and finish just shy of Jimmie Foxx on the all-time homers list, which would make him 19th on the list. 
• As a Sox fan, I know I'm biased, but I really believe that, even being a DH, he deserves to enter the Hall. He was a major factor in 3 World Series championships, and I'm old enough to remember "the Curse" and what a big deal it was to end that drought. Others might point to PED accusations, but he's been by the book - at the very least - since MLB changed their PED policy and has continued to perform at a high level even in his late 30's. He's simply one of the all-time great hitters.

Regardless of the Hall, Ortiz is in Boston's pantheon.

• Apologies in advance to any Cubs fans out there in case I jinx them, but they clearly look like the early favorite to win it all. They have the best record in baseball and by far the best run differential (+89; the next closest is St. Louis with 40).
• Things are looking pretty good on the South Side too, where the White Sox own the best record in the AL.
• The biggest underachievers? The Yankees and Astros, both postseason teams last year, are languishing in the bottom of the AL, but there's plenty of time to right the ship.